Belpre Heritage Day to be celebrated Saturday

October 18, 2012

BELPRE - The Belpre Historical Society will hold its annual "Heritage Day at the Museum" on Saturday at the Farmers' Castle Museum Education Center at 509 Ridge St. in Belpre.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum and visitors will get a chance to preview the society's building plans for a new collections preservation building, said member Nancy Sams.

Light refreshments will be available and monetary donations are appreciated, she said.

The Heritage Day program will begin at 11 a.m. with a flag-raising ceremony by the Sons of Union Veterans Fearing Camp II, who will "hand over" the flag to the Belpre American Legion Post 495, followed by a welcome from Belpre Mayor Mike Lorentz.

Throughout the day, various artisans will demonstrate pioneer-era skills like quilting, spinning, rug weaving and blacksmithing. The program will also include genealogy resources, archeology information and artifacts, the Pioneer Antique Tractor and Power group, the Ohio & Little Kanawha Railroad group with its "Speeder" and other attractions and activities, Sams said.

As a part of the "Ohio 150" commemoration of the American Civil War from 2011-2015, special exhibits within the museum include an 1861 map of the United States and Matthew Brady's "Photographs of the Civil War." More than 50 books, battlefield maps and periodicals are available for research at the museum, along with a permanent Underground Railroad exhibit based on research by late local historian Henry R. Burke.

For information about the museum and the Belpre Historical Society go to www.belprehistory.com or call 423-7588 or 423-7382 for a variety of membership options and volunteering opportunities.